Death on the Gallows: The Story of Legal Hangings in New Mexico, 1847-1923

In the old West, execution was a common form of punishment, and until 1923 hanging was the most common form of execution in New Mexico. Following exhaustive research of court records and newspaper accounts, former Las Cruces detective West Gilbreath has documented New Mexico's legal hangings, and a few illegal ones, to tell the story of how dozens of hardened criminals, and a few innocents, were dropped from the gallows and jerked to their final reward. The actual executions are presented in unvarnished form, just as eyewitnesses and the newspapers of the time described them. Most interesting, the crimes that led to the ultimate punishment are described in detail, providing a unique view of law and disorder in the land of enchantment.